Despite a slew of injuries, Lemaire is off to as good a start in his second stint with the Devils as he had the first time around.

The Devils head into tonight’s game against Washington at Prudential Center in first place in the Atlantic Division with a 13-4 record. That’s the same record they had in their first 17 games under Lemaire in 1993-94.

“It’s been fun,” Lemaire said Friday. “Coaching is fun for me. Maybe after the first couple of games, I thought it would be a little different. But as soon as we started to win a few games, you’re back in the pack and now the team is going well. You know it’s always winning that takes care of the good part.”

Kaberle had modestly mentioned in the past his captaincy of the Czech national team and that he was one of Mats Sundin’s deputies for many years, but he won’t outright lobby for the job.

“I think a whole bunch of guys in here can step forward,” Kaberle said. “Whether you’re 19 or 35, you have something to say. When I feel I have to (be vocal) I am.”

Among the forwards it is slim pickings. Matt Stajan and Wilson aren’t seeing eye to eye, as the former’s demotion from the first line to the fourth will attest. John Mitchell only has one full year of NHL experience. Phil Kessel is a scorer, not a screamer. And the others either don’t have the ice time or off-ice presence.

“What good would it do,” asked one keen observer, “if a .146 hitter got up in the middle of a losing baseball team’s clubhouse and started making speeches?”

1. Were the past two games a turning point in goaltender Jimmy Howard’s career?

For Howard, it’s a matter of confidence and consistency. His performance was a huge boost, not only for his own confidence but for the team’s confidence in him. After playing well in Columbus Wednesday, he stole Thursday’s game against Vancouver.

“I’m frustrated like everybody else,” Checketts said. “And I think it’s frankly time to declare the wait over. I think our fans have been patient, I think we’ve been patient.

“This is a team that the time has come ... it’s time to win. The waiting is over. We don’t need to be patient anymore. We have a right to expect. We’re spending enough and we have a terrific group of guys. It’s time to win.

“There is no reason for the kind of effort we saw last night. This team has everything it needs and now is the time to win. All year long, we should compete for first or second in our division. This team is good enough and that’s what we expect from them. I think everyone can expect that. And it’s top to bottom ... everybody in the organization has to be on that page. It’s time to win. We have everything we need to win. There’s no excuse.”

Mike Murphy, the NHL’s vice-president of operations, revealed Friday he has cancer.

The 59-year-old told a Toronto sports radio station he was diagnosed six weeks ago with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Murphy, who coached the Maple Leafs and the Kings, said he is undergoing chemotherapy to be followed by radiation treatment.

“If I’m blessed, I will be cancer-free come playoff time,” said Murphy.

Mike Knuble suffered a broken finger late in the first period and will need surgery, a team official said. He is expected to miss three to four weeks.

The first line right wing was injured when he was shoved from behind and crashed headfirst into the net by Wild defenseman Marek Zidlicky. It’s unclear exactly how Knuble was hurt, but he went hurdling over goalie Josh Harding and landed hard.

Markus Naslund believes his long-time friend Peter Forsberg will continue his hockey career this season and should play for their hometown club in Sweden, Modo….

“There is definitely a chance that he might stay here and, in my opinion, it might be better for him,” Naslund said in a phone interview on Friday. “He could play regularly — there are less games here and that would mean less wear and tear on him than in the NHL.”

Naslund has no doubt that Forsberg, who is attempting a comeback after a chronic foot problem, will continue playing this season because he dearly wants to suit up for Sweden at the Vancouver Olympics. It’s now a matter of where, in Sweden or the NHL. The Canucks, Rangers, Flyers, Avalanche and Bruins are among the teams believed to be interested in signing the unrestricted free agent.

“I personally think he’s not going to retire,” Naslund said. “I feel he will play somewhere this year. But who knows where he is going to play.

“He’s still working on figuring everything out. He wants to make sure he’s 100 per cent fit before he can commit to anything. I know he’s getting closer to making his decision, but I honestly don’t know which way he’s leaning.”

The two Boca Raton businessmen taking control of the Florida Panthers said Friday they plan to bring a wininng culture, accountability and strong leadership to a hockey team that has lacked those qualities for years.

In their first public comments since Alan Cohen agreed to cede majority ownership, Cliff Viner and Stu Siegel said they have opened lines of communication between the team’s business and hockey operations. They promise to be accessible to team employees and fans and to create a stronger relationship with Broward County, Sunrise and other South Florida officials.

“I think it starts from the top,” said Siegel, who oversees the Panthers Foundation and works regularly in his BankAtlantic Center office. “As much as we like to think we’ve been the ultimate professional organization, I think that in some ways from a leadership standpoint we may have failed in that.”

About Kukla’s Korner

Kukla’s Korner is updated around the clock with the work of our own talented bloggers, plus links to the best hockey writing around the internet. We strive to bring you all the breaking hockey news as it happens.

The home page allows you to see the latest postings from every blog on the site. Subscribe here. For general inquiries and more, please contact us anytime.